What If?
by Avenshar
Summary: Ambrose creates a machine to look into alternate universes. He and DG sit back and see what the lives of the people they love would have been like if a few different choices had been made. DG/Glitch Az/Cain Rating may change with later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Woohoo, first chapter of the new story! Can ya tell I'm excited? Anywhoo, disclaimers and such..I don't own anything you might possibly recognize as creative or interesting, it all belongs to the good people who wrote the script for the show and yada yada yada. As you might have noticed, I don't have a beta yet for this story so any mistakes are all mine and I'm sure there will be quite a few. If you're interested in being a beta for 'What If' leave a note in your review. M'kay, on with the show!**

In a spacious well-lit room, a man with black hair erratically parted down the center sat in a chair with large wheels on the sides and two smaller ones in the front. He looked, not young but not exactly old either, but a gray area somewhere in between. His pale face was creased with extreme concentration but showed a general lack of wrinkles. Dark eyes were focused intently on the object in front of him and shown with reflected light from the room and an intense passion within. On his lap were several small tools and he held one, a small screwdriver, in his hand as he twisted a final tiny screw into place. Straightening in his wheelchair, the man at last let his face relax and a glowing smile broke across it.

"I think that should do it," Ambrose said to no one in particular.

Gone were the matted dreadlocks on his head but the silver zipper remained in the center of his soft curls. When his brain had originally been removed Azkadellia had placed a curse on the zipper so that it would remain as a reminder forever. Now with the witch gone from her body she couldn't remember how to undo it. Immediately after they had regained control of the kingdom –for long coats still loyal to the possessed Azkadellia roamed the countryside reeking havoc and just causing general chaos and confusion- Glitch's brain was put back into it's rightful home and he became Ambrose once more. But this Ambrose was different, less severe, occasionally slipping back into Glitch-like behavior and letting DG get them into silly messes and little adventures. Her curiosity about the O.Z knew no bounds and he now understood Azkadellia's exclamations of "Your adventures have a way of getting me into trouble," His surgery, however, had left him crippled below the waist and had forced him to take toa wheelchair most of the time. His legs could barely support him and while he knew physical therapy could help him regain their use eventually, he also knew motivation was a requirement for such recoveries and he just didn't think he had it in him.

Wheeling into the hallway outside his workroom, he headed up one floor on the elevator to the next floor and went quickly to the wing of the palace where his chambers were located. Going to his wardrobe he opened it and began the arduous task of dressing himself. A manservant had of course been provided to help him but Ambrose felt that the small inconvenience of dressing himself was a little price to pay for his salvaged dignity and independence. He pulled off his simple work clothes and – as quickly as he could – donned the genial court clothing he had come to wear, this in a muted shade of violet.

Now, back to the elevator and up one more floor to the Royal chambers to find DG. He hadn't told her what he was creating for fear he wouldn't succeed. Knocking on her door he called,

"DG? Are you in there princess? I have something to-"

Suddenly the gilded door opened and out stepped a flushed DG, gasping for breath. Looking into the room for the reason, he found it immediately. Azkadellia was sitting cross legged in the center of a large four poster bed draped with beautiful gauzy red and lavender curtains, all of which were pulled closed accept for the ones facing the door. The light drapes seemed to have a life of their own, drifting and floating on the warm breeze blowing through the open window and catching the bright sun on their satin trim. DG's older sister was surrounded by slips of paper, drawings, paintings, items and photos and was struggling to contain her hysterical laughter. In her hand he could see her holding a picture of a young DG covered in several different colours of paint and holding a spotless paintbrush. Raising an eyebrow, Ambrose looked up at DG knowingly.

"Showing off some of your favourite memories hmm?" the inventor asked.

He had already seen her nostalgic relics and knew the story behind many of them, including the one Az held in her hand. It was DG's first paint set and she hadn't even bothered to use the included brush in her masterpiece. In the end her final work of art ended up mostly on her body, and it actually turned out quite beautifully with strange and colourful designs painted on her arms, legs and chest.

"Oh, Ambrose. Good morning," she said out loud with a glance over her shoulder at her sister. "What's up Glitch?" she asked in a more hushed tone, using the name he only allowed her to use anymore.

"I've got something amazing to show you DG! I've been working on a new machine for about a month and a half and I think I've finally perfected it. Please come to my work room when you're done with your sister,"

Glitch's face had that half frantic look he got when he was excited about some new mechanical marvel he had dreamed up and finally brought into existence. Though he was now the queen's advisor again and she the princess, Glitch and DG remained close friends though they were only able to be themselves and relax together in private. With a grin, the younger girl hurried back across the room to her sister nod whispered a few words in her ear. She must have said something along the lines of an obviously shoddy excuse for her departure because Azkadellia raised her head to look at the man sitting in the doorway and winked at him.

"Well, I suppose if Ambrose really needs your help on that…" she paused for a second and looked at her sister, "What was it called?" Az whispered.

"A motorcycle. I asked Ambrose if he could try and build one for me and he's run into some trouble. I'll be back later, I promise," DG answered and thanked her sister quickly for her understanding. Azkadellia was one of the few people who knew that DG and Glitch had stayed so close and was convinced they should be more than just friends.

Closing the door behind them, DG walked along side Glitch down the hall. Since her return to the O.Z. DG had fallen in love with the local fashion all over again, usually exchanging her jeans and T-shirt for a dress. Today she wore a light and comfortable creamy linen skirt that reached about halfway past her knees matched with a beautiful gold coloured blouse with flowing sleeves and delicate white flowering vines embroidered along the seems and modestly scooped neckline. On her feet she had soft slippers near the colour of her skirt that made soft padding sounds as she walked along side Glitch. Back down the elevator and through the hallways to his expansive workroom they traveled along in comfortable silence.

"So, what do you have to show me?" the princess asked, unable to keep the curiosity from her voice.

"Do you remember that machine that created a holograph when we first met Cain?" Glitch said as he opened the door and wheeled into the high ceiling room. One wall was filled with near floor to ceiling windows to let in plenty of natural light.

"I've been experimenting with one, tweaking its memory, storage and abilities then attaching it to a whole new machine. What I've finally created, even I can't explain. The closest I can come to telling you its true function is that it creates a picture, a holograph of a parallel universe. For every choice we make in life, we create an alternate universe –or universes depending on the number of choices- in which we make a different choice. Universes created by choices as simple as what to have for breakfast, ones that don't truly affect your life, don't last for more than a few seconds. Others created by important decisions such as whether or not to get married create permanent universes in which your other self lives out the altered life. With this machine you can discover what your life would be like if you had made a different decision in the past," Ambrose finished his explanation of the invention with an expectant air about him.

DG stood dumbstruck. While she had understood the concept of alternate realities in theory, proof that they truly existed and could now be viewed left her with mixed feelings. What if she found answers to questions that she really didn't need to see? The first question she would ask of course, would be what if she hadn't let go of Az's hand at Finaqua? She thought she know the answer, but didn't want her suspicions confirmed. Finally she saw Ambrose looking at her and realized he had asked her a question.

"I'm sorry, what'd you say Glitch?"

"I asked if you'd like to try it out with me. It's perfectly safe, I think. All it should produce are images and sound but nothing solid," the man replied, heading over to a small control panel.

"How does it work? I mean, I understand the general concept, but how do you find the right universe among the millions that must exist?" DG asked him as she cleared away a few boxes in front of the machine to create an open space for the projection.

"That's where this comes in. Several equations are of course required to pinpoint the universes…location I guess you would call it," Ambrose replied, indicating a keypad with assorted numbers, letters and some symbols DG vaguely recognized from trigonometry and calculus along with several she had never seen. In front of the keypad was a blank screen with a few knobs and buttons around the sides that looked vaguely threatening.

"What about those?" she asked, pointing at them.

"Oh, hehe. The don't do anything really," the inventor said, sounding much like the old Glitch as he twisted them and pushed a few buttons. "I just added them to make the whole thing a little more official and keep people from messing with it..." he finished with a gleam in eyes, the gleam that told DG her Glitch was still in there somewhere.

"Well, they certainly do their job!" the woman exclaimed as she immediately contradicted herself by giving into the childish temptation to play with the knobs.

As he watched her, bent and smiling with her hair catching the sun, Ambrose had to resist the sudden urge to pull her into his lap and kiss her. His feelings for her went beyond friendly and, considering their respective positions in society, were entirely inappropriate. From the first time he had seen her, talked with her and traveled with her they had grown stronger each day. Maybe she felt something for him as well but even if she did, he could let her pursue them. Along with his memories and genius, Ambrose's sense of morality and some of his propriety had been returned. DG was a princess and that's all there was to it. She had to marry some high ranking noble, not the resident mad scientist. What Ambrose didn't know was that DG's feelings for him were just as strong as his for her. The queen had seen how her daughter and advisor looked at each other and taken them each aside separately to straighten things out. Many oh-so-embarrassing questions had been asked and Galinda gained some idea of the situation but had not interfered, given approval or admonishment. Instead, she chose to ask her oldest daughter to keep an eye on them both whenever possible. Of course, the woman had readily agreed and prodded the two together whenever possible and then left them alone.

Shaking his head to clear away his thoughts of her, Glitch wheeled over to where DG was playing at the controls.

"So, do you have any 'what ifs' you'd like to explore?" the inventor asked her.

Looking up from her fun, DG thought about whether or not she should really ask it, then decided to go ahead and damn the consequences. "Yeah, I do. What….What if I hadn't let go that day?"

She know she didn't have to elaborate on which day she meant; it had been a constant source of worry and depression for her ever since she found out the truth behind Az's behavior. Standing beside him, DG watched as Glitch punched in a sequence of numbers, some words in a language she didn't understand and finally a few ominous looking symbols.

"Are you sure you want to know this? You might not like what you see,"

In truth, he had no idea what she would see. This machine had the power to skim through the years to the deciding moment in time where someone's life changed. Of course, it could move forward through the years as well so you didn't have to sit and wait for the years to pass to see the changes wrought in the world.

"I need to know Glitch. Please,"

Nodding, Glitch flipped the switch and watched with bated breath as images began to form in front of them. In need of both physical and emotional support, DG reached for Glitch's hand and sank into his lap to watch what could have been.

**A/N: So, how was it? I have the second chapter written and typed up, all ready to be posted as soon as I get the thing all writers crave...REVIEWS!! Just click the pretty button and leave a comment of some sort, anything at all will be loved and cherished!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Tada! Chapter 2- all sparkly new and ready to go. This chapter is about half the length of the last one, as most of them will be. From here on out this fic will be kind of like little drabbles, insignificant stories about the lives of our characters.**

**Chapter 2**

"Hold on tight DG and don't let go! Nothing can hurt us if we stay together!" Azkadellia's voice rang through the cavern, bouncing off the stonewalls until the last echoes died.

"But I'm scared Az!" DG's answering voice shook, as did her small body.

The sister's intertwined hands glowed with a fierce light that spoke not only of their combined power but also of their love.

"Let go!" the hag roared and DG shrank back; ready to run as far away as she could. But just as she prepared to bolt, Az gripped her hand tighter and took a step towards the now towering witch.

"You have no power over us," she said with a calm and even voice, all traces of fear and anxiety gone, her eyes now clear and tranquil.

DG stopped shaking and started drawing strength from her, soon stepping forward and repeating their new mantra of strength.

"You have no power over us. You have no power over us. You have no power over us. You have no power over us…"

Ambrose heard a familiar scream nearby and ran towards it, fearing the worst. The princesses hadn't been seen since they went into the forest nearly an hour ago and some of the guards had been sent out to check for them. The queen's advisor had decided to join them so Galinda's own guard wouldn't be too terribly depleted. Soon, a cave came into view and Ambrose heard the girls inside.

"I'm coming princesses!"

Racing inside, he saw what looked like a lantern glowing at the end of the tunnel and blindly followed it, stubbing his toe repeatedly in his hurry to get to them. Once he reached the end of the tunnel he saw the open cavern and the glowing hands of the princesses inside. By that glow he knew they were performing serious magic, but couldn't see any reason why. Ambrose was an astute man though and had learned early on in the palace inhabited by 3 magical women that only those with access to magic could see certain things. He also heard them chanting something, thought he couldn't quite hear it over the unnatural roar filling the place. Reaching out slowly, he gently placed his outstretched hand on DG's shoulder. Suddenly he saw the reason for their magic. When he touched the girl's shoulder some residual magic floating around her latched itself onto him and allowed Ambrose to see what they saw. Suddenly he could see the crone raging and roaring in front of them.

This situation was more dangerous than it first appeared. Though they would one day be very powerful, controlling more magic than even they knew, they were still young. Too young to have expanded their magical capacity very far and so they were in grave danger of exhausting what little supply they had. Ambrose knew he would have to go for Galinda, the queen, if the girls were to survive much longer. Letting go of DG, he scrambled out of the cave and ran to find the powerful woman.

"You…have no power.. over us..." Az repeated, her exhaustion showing through in her voice.

"If you keep up with little display, you will surely drain yourselves to the point of death. Just let go now and save yourself the torture of feeling your life slowly seeping away, knowing there's nothing you can do to stop it. You don't want that, do you? Then separate, and perhaps one of you will live…" the hag crooned with a malicious grin.

"No! I will not let go!" DG raged back at the demon. From some deep well within her she drew upon before unknown magic that- running unchecked and uncontrolled- literally bathed the cave in an octarine light.

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"My queen! It's the princesses, they've unleashed Shaldar!" the lanky advisor called as soon as he entered her hearing range.

"What?! How? Are they alright? Where are they now?" Galinda replied in a panicked tone.

"In the cave, they've been holding her back together but their power is quickly draining. They won't be able to hold out much longer," Ambrose told her, quickly summarizing the situation.

"Take me to them, now!"

The queen followed her most trusted advisor into the forest, bringing with her a contingency of guards just in case extra manpower was needed. Even before the cavern and tunnel came into view the powerful queen could hear the roar and ran ahead quickly, hiking her dress above her knees to keep from tripping over the hem.

"Azkadellia, DG! I'm coming, just hold on a minute more!" Galinda called and swiftly picked her way through the fallen boulders and stones.

Finally she found them at the end of the tunnel and stood awestruck for a moment by the level of raw power filling the place. Az was displaying more controlled force while DG used pure energy to keep the hag at bay. The children had immediately sensed their mother's presence, but the witch was so intent on destroying the bond between them she only registered an increase in power and attributed it to the sisters.

"Shaldar!" the queen cried in a voice amplified by magic and the natural acoustics of the cavern.

The demon looked up, surprised by the new booming voice. Taking both her daughters by the hand, Galinda stepped with them out of the roaring cavern. She drew deeply from her own magic and, closing her eyes, began to weave a glowing cage of pure light around the shrieking thing in front of them.

"No! What are you doing?!" cried the quickly rising voice of the hag.

Once completed, delicate pulsating bars began to shrink slowly around the witch, forcing her into a smaller and smaller form. Finally Ambrose returned with the device Galinda had requested when she recognized just what was attacking her 2 children.

"The containment vessel your majesty," he said shakily, his thin body trembling with the knowledge of just what his queen and princesses were facing up against.

"Thank you Ambrose," the woman replied, her tight voice belying her concentration.

Her advisor placed a small box in front of her with the top panel swung open on unseen hinges. All the panels seemed to be made of a clear crystal with liquid rainbow coursing through it, which emitted a faint and ever changing glow and the frame made of shining silver seamlessly melded together. A lot of things seemed to glow in the O.Z…

"You can't do this to me! I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL!" the demon raged, trying one last time to escape as the queen lowered her cage of light into the containment vessel.

With a sharp click the lid snapped shut and the witch's screams were cut off forever. Sighing, Galinda picked up the cube and handed it to Ambrose so that it would be disposed of properly. As soon as the top panel had closed, all the beautiful colours coursing through the box disappeared and it became a dull gray. The queen really didn't intend for the advisor to do it himself but to delegate the task to one of the guardsmen waiting close by.

A last look back into the cavern and the queen stepped out into the forest and sun with her daughters. Suddenly, both girls collapsed into a heap together on the forest floor. Ahamo was immediately kneeling by their side, having waited outside the cave for his family to emerge.

"Are you alright? Is anyone hurt?" the man asked his wife after seeing how drained she and his daughters looked.

"Just tired is all. The girls will recover their strength with rest and should show no ill side effects."

Nodding, Ahamo picked up Azkadellia and carried her to the waiting carriage and returned for DG. On the relatively peaceful ride home, Galinda used what was left of her power to soothe the girls into a deeper sleep and then related what she knew of the incident to their father.

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who commented on that first experimental chapter, your reviews kept the rabid plot bunnies in my head happy and fed. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Now I know this chapter is pretty short- not even a thousand words- but that's beside the point. This chapter is purely heart warming and childish fluff. For any of you out there who think I'm sick and twisted for doing anything between a 10 year old and a 27 year old ('cause that's how old _I _say Ambrose is XD ) you can save your protests. This is just friendly fluff --; Okay, I think that's all I needed to say, onwards!**

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**_Chapter 3_**

**_Apple Afternoons_**

* * *

Skip forward a few years and we find 10 year old DG standing in the garden under an apple tree, looking up yearningly at the deliciously ripe fruit on the boughs far out of her reach. Closing her eyes she concentrated raised a hand and spun her little finger around a few times in the air. With a soft 'thunk' an apple fell and landed at her feet. A smiling DG was later seen sitting under the same tree, surrounded by apples she had magicked down.

"Your highness! Did you do this?" Ambrose scolded.

"Yes Ambrose.." the girl replied, having the grace to look ashamed. At least until she started giggling that is.

"Will you help me? Papa will be upset if they're wasted and I know I can't eat them all myself,"

The advisor looked at the dozens of scarlet orbs surrounding the princess and said, "I suppose you can't. Well, let's see what I can do," and sat next to her in cleared spot.

Picking up an apple he bit through the tight skin and into the crisp flesh. After chewing for a moment he swallowed.

"You know very well I can never say no to a good apple, nor to you,"

Ambrose flashed her a rare smile she was sure he only used for her. They had always been close friends. He had been taken on as advisor when Azkadellia about 5, just a few months before DG was born. He just hadn't developed the same closeness with her as he had with you younger sister. Azkadellia always viewed him as another member of court, another adult and her mother's advisor. It was probably best that way though.

The relationship with DG was different. Less than an hour after she was born the man had been allowed to hold her in his arms. At first he was incredibly nervous; she had been so very small and fragile, smaller that his forearm and hand. But the way she giggled and cooed, burbling and grinning at him, he soon forgot his fears and worries. From that first moment he had known this little girl would be special, different from any other for the rest of her life, though he didn't know quite why.

As she grew, he made sure to always be there, always ready to help or protect her when she needed him. He knew the life of a princess could be very lonely, even with a sister and the entire court at your disposal for entertainment. In the eyes of their parents, no playmates were good enough for the sisters but even if there were other children there would never be time enough for them. A princess' days were filled with all sorts of lessons; reading, writing, arithmetic, music, drawing, singing, riding, dancing and etiquette were all essential skills for them to master. Dancing of course, was his forte and so the queen had been delighted at his offer to teach the girls. In times like this when the kingdom was peaceful and prospering, Galinda's advisor didn't have much advising to do. After a time Az warmed up to him when she saw DG trusted and even loved him. Just platonic love of course, at her age anything else would just be wrong.

"Now," Ambrose started, "I've eaten all the apples I possibly can and there are still several left,"

The princess and advisor were surrounded by discarded apple cores and plucked stems. DG pulled her sleeve down some and, holding the end in her hand, swiped it over her mouth to wipe away the juices running down her chin.

"DG! You don't use your sleeve to wipe your mouth. You use your kerchief," Ambrose admonished and reached into his pocket for a hanky but didn't find it...

He now had the embarrasing choice of leaving the sticky applejuice around his mouth or using his own sleeve.

"Well, we don't use our sleeve..unless we have no kerchief," he said and with as much dignity as he could muster, pulled his own sleeve over his hand and wiped off the sticky mess.

Looking down at his young charge he whispered, "No one hears about this, right? If your mother ever found out I was teaching you habits like this she'd have my head. Now, what do you say to taking these apples to the cooks to make pies for dessert? I'm sure your father won't consider that a waste,"

Jumping up, DG waited 'till the man stood and then threw her arms around him in an enthusiastic hug. Well, that is to say she hugged his legs and lower torso-she couldn't reach much higher.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou! For not telling and getting me into trouble, I mean. Mrs. Bartcrumple would have yelled and fussed and told me to be a proper young lady. But not you Brose, 'cause you're my best friend right?"

Mrs. Bartcrumple was the girls' and musical instructor. At the moment she was teaching DG to play something akin to a clarinet and was known to be terribly strict. Galinda had been taught by the same woman and whispered to her daughters more than once that she was sure the old woman would be around to teach their daughters. They had all shuddered at the thought.

"Of course DG," 'Brose' replied softly as he bent to return her hug.

That night as the apple tarts, turnovers, pies and baked apples were served DG smiled at Ambrose across the large dining table used when the family ate together. As Ahamo wondered aloud about the number of apple dishes, Galinda caught the look passing between her youngest daughter and advisor and allowed a smile of her own. After a walk in the gardens and past a certain apple tree, she had some theories of her own about their fruity meal.

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**A/N: See? That wasn't so bad! Oh, and anyone who can catch an Eddie Izzard reference gets a cookie! Reviews are, as always, very appreciated. .**


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